2023-06-21 13:01:00
The majority of Germans (nearly 60 percent of those polled) supported the idea that TV and radio hosts could be journalists whose pronunciation would indicate that German is not their native language. This is the result of an Infratest survey among German citizens aged 18 and over, commissioned by the NDR television and radio company.
What are the arguments for
Opinions “for” can be found in all age groups of the population. Every fifth respondent said “against”. Approximately the same number could not unequivocally answer the question asked in the study. As for the mood among representatives of different parties, then only supporters of the right-wing populist party AfD want to see native German speakers in the role of presenters and announcers.
Respondents who voted “for” stand for equal opportunities and rights for native speakers and those for whom German is not native. In addition, respondents believe that this will better reflect the multicultural society of the country in the media.
Why there are doubts
Many are ready to support the hosts who speak with an accent. The main thing is that their speech should be understandable in terms of pronunciation. The main argument “against” is that because of the accent, the understanding of the information provided may be limited, and the speech itself will be difficult to perceive by ear.
Some fear a decrease in the level of standard German due to lack of language skills or too strong an accent. And what is no less important: among the respondents there were those who are categorically against the work of presenters who speak with accents in German. Why are they rejecting this idea? As the respondents themselves admitted, for reasons of xenophobic sentiments.
According to the German news agency dpa, the survey was conducted online from 9 to 10 May 2023. It was attended by 1220 people, taking into account socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender and education.
See also:
#survey